September 17, 2012

The World’s Greatest Cheesecake

Ladies and gentlemen, the world’s greatest cheesecake.My grandma would murder me if she knew that I’m sharing this recipe with you. Below is a list of ingredients and directions for what many consider to be the last word in cheesecake. It is perfect for nearly any occasion: holidays, birthdays or just Fridays. My family has been baking this incredible pastry for generations, and over time, by way of arduous tweaking and fiddling, the recipe has reached a point of absolute perfection. Accordingly, if you dare tackle this massive yet rewarding challenge, follow this recipe exactly. I promise, you shan’t be sorry.

CRUSTFirst, let’s focus on the crust. This step should be first and foremost in your mind; after all, half the greatness of any cake or pie lies in the greatness of the crust (so don’t you be buyin’ no lazy-ass pre-made crusts if you be expecting the same level of quality)!

Mix the graham crackers, ½ cup sugar, and ½ cup of melted butter in a mixing bowl. Line a springform pan (one of those circular baking pans, the sides of which can be removed from the base) with this mixture. Be sure to pack it nice and tightly, otherwise it’ll crumble too much to support the cheesy insides. Bake for 10 minutes in the oven at 400o F. Take out of the oven and place to the side to cool.

CHEESECAKEFroth together the cream cheese blocks, eggs, teaspoon of vanilla, and 2/3 cup of sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat well for about 4 minutes. Make sure the consistency is consistently creamy, and there are no remaining chunks of eggs, cheese, etc. Then, pour this frothy mixture into the now-cooled crust and bake it all for 30-35 minutes at 350o F. (If you’re planning on doubling the recipe, bake for 70 minutes at 325o F). Let this new creation cool for 1 hour. If you want to speed this process up, feel free to put it in the fridge.

ICING/TOPPINGYou could/should easily move onto this step while the cheesecake itself is cooling, since I’m sure time will start becoming an issue at this point. But you’ll still want to make sure the cake is fairly cool before you apply this delicious crème…

Once the cake is sufficiently cooled, simply lather this icing mixture on with a spoon or spatula! Make sure it’s nice and even, and if you wanted, if there are any remaining graham cracker crumbs, go ahead and sprinkle them on there too! More good can never do harm.

Finally, bake this final cake (yes, one last time — hang in there!) for 10 minutes at 425o F. At the end of all this, simply cool the cake in the fridge for several hours to a day. Now slice up, serve up and eat up!

I know at this point it will have been quite a long, high-calorie journey, but you will certainly not regret a minute of it.

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